THE YOUNG COFFEE PROFESSIONAL CONTEST

The aim: pass on and develop knowhow, stimulate inventiveness, recognise the professional approach of students. This contest brings together the best pupils from hotel schools in France, and has been held each year between March and April since 1995. The contest is also open to hotel and catering professionals.

We perform this intense work in close collaboration with the Paul Augier school in Nice, and all of the hotel schools in France who open their doors each year for the regional rounds.

This contest has changed since the first edition in 1995. Many more schools now participate and the standard has considerably increased. We created a regional selection process in response to the high number of applications from young pupils.

Some of the Contest winners have joined the Malongo cafés team, while others have opted for sales or the hotel sector. The Young Coffee Professional Contest can now claim international status, with the participation of a Chinese candidate in 2006.

This year, the winner was rewarded with a trip to a producing country with his or her teacher. The Trophy, designed by Godefroy Kouassi, is re-awarded each year.

CONTEST 2010

The standard of participants is constantly rising in this contest, so our congratulations go to Margaux Obrecht from the Alexandre Dumas hotel school in Illkirch-Graffenstaden (67), who won the final round of this 16th edition of the Young Coffee Professional Contest in the BAC/BTS category. Margaux confirmed her passion for and knowledge of coffee during the two-day event and went away with the Trophy designed by Godefroy Kouassi, which she will hand to the next winner in 2011.
A trip to Sao Tomé & Principe: Margaux Obrecht and her teacher have won this first prize and will be flying off to the island in the middle of the World, located in the Gulf of Guinea just 350 km from the coast of Gabon.
They will meet up with the locals and coffee growers from one of the smallest countries in Africa.
Malongo has recently signed a historical agreement with the local government of this country, in collaboration with the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Agence Française de Développement to boost coffee growing on the island and produce luxury, organic, fair trade coffees.